Foundation Grantee Helps Elementary Students Save Over $40k

A Foundation Grant at Work

Silver State Schools Credit Union (SSSCU) helped elementary students learn the importance of saving through its innovative program, “The Piggy Bank Project”. At the end of the school year, students at Walter Bracken Elementary saved just over $40,000. SSSCU received a Biz Kid$ Financial Education Grant from the National Credit Union Foundation (the Foundation) to help fund this initiative.

The Piggy Bank Project is a collaborative effort between SSSCU, Walter Bracken Elementary School, The United Way of Southern Nevada, Young Philanthropist Society, Junior Achievement, and the Andson Foundation to provide real savings accounts for elementary students, while also providing in class financial education to reinforce the habit of saving money.

Through the use of Biz Kid$ videos in the classroom, students learned the important concepts of needs vs. wants, goals, budgeting, and smart spending.

“At the elementary level, kids learn best and remember videos, far more than any presentation or worksheet,” said Anthony McTaggert, Chief Operating Officer of the Andson Foundation. “The Biz Kid$ videos reinforce the lessons, and give the ever-important piece - media - that helps commit the lesson to memory.”

The project also included an on-campus “piggy bank”, which gave students the chance to put into practice the lessons they learned in the classroom.

“Collaborating in the community to provide financial education to youth through SSSCU’s Piggy Bank Project is a great example of the credit union mission in action,” said Danielle Brown, Director of Development & Donor Relations for the Foundation.

A Foundation Grant at Work
This “Grant at Work” is part of a series that highlights Foundation grantees who made a positive impact in their community and empowered consumers to achieve financial freedom through credit unions. Grants are made possible by supporters of the Foundation.

Biz Kid$ - Teaching Kids about Money & Business
Biz Kid$ is a financial literacy initiative launched nationally in January 2008 that teaches kids about money and business. The initiative includes an award-winning TV series, free classroom curriculum, outreach activities, and a website targeting children 9 – 16 years old. The Foundation is responsible for the fundraising and outreach of the program, and a coalition of over 300 credit unions and affiliates from across the country have helped exclusively fund Biz Kid$.

Many credit unions leverage Biz Kid$ to teach financial education in schools in their community. In addition to the Foundation’s box sets and starter kits, companion materials and other resources for teachers and parents are available at no cost on the Biz Kid$ website, bizkids.com. The site also features clips from the series and invites kids to appear on the show.